Bedford Boer War Memorial is a Grade II listed building in the Bedford local planning authority area, England. First listed on 22 July 2014. War memorial.
Bedford Boer War Memorial
- WRENN ID
- wild-cobble-foxglove
- Grade
- II
- Local Planning Authority
- Bedford
- Constituency
- Bedford MP: Mohammad Yasin (Lab)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 22 July 2014
- Type
- War memorial
- Address
- Bedford Boer War Memorial, Swan Hotel, 1 High Street, MK40 1RW
- OS grid reference
- TL 051 496
- Coordinates
- 52.1349, -0.46579
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The Bedford Boer War Memorial is a war memorial dedicated to the Second Boer War, unveiled on June 2, 1904, and designed by Leon Joseph Chavillard. It features a bronze statue of a soldier in full combat uniform, depicted standing informally at ease with his left leg forward and both hands clasping the top of his rifle barrel, which rests on the ground. The statue is elevated on a tall classical plinth made of Portland stone, which has a deep cornice and incorporates a Venetian arch, along with a moulded base.
The plinth is situated at the center of a raised square platform that is surrounded by metal bollards, one at each corner and one at the center of each side. Each side of the plinth displays a bronze panel engraved with the names of 230 men who died, listed by rank and regiment. An inscription on the panels reads:
"TO THE MEMORY OF THE OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE BEDFORDSHIRE REGIMENTS AND OF BEDFORDSHIRE MEN SERVING IN OTHER BRANCHES OF THE IMPERIAL FORCES WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN CAMPAIGN AND WHOSE NAMES ARE HEREON RECORDED. THIS MONUMENT WAS ERECTED BY PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION IN THE COUNTY. WAR DECLARED OCTOBER 8th 1899 PEACE PROCLAIMED JUNE 1st 1902."
Local climate
Bedford Boer War Memorial sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 690 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 95% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 91% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 34 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 54% of listed buildings. Of these, 15 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
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- No EPC on record for this property
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